Q&A
As of 8:00 this morning, the not-a-raffle fundraiser has raised $744 for rape crisis centers. Sweet! On a related note, my friend shadesong is fundraising for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center as part of the 5th Annual Walk for Change. Her donations page is here. If you donate, make sure to let me know so I can add your name to win that ARC of Red Hood’s Revenge [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon].
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It’s open question time here on the blog. I’ve done this a few times before, and the rules are the same as always.
Ask anything you’d like. Writing-related or not, serious or smart-ass, everything goes. Want to know who would win in a goblin vs. princess no-holds-barred smackdown? How I got my agent? The worst thing about being diabetic? What happened when the church tried to give my 5-year-old son communion yesterday?
(I’ll give you that last one for free. He tossed the bread into the wine cup.)
You can leave your questions in the comments. If you prefer not to have your name attached, you can also e-mail me.
I’ll answer as many as I can in future blog posts, though I reserve the right to not answer certain questions. I.e., if you ask me whether Talia will hook up with [SPOILER] in book four, I’ll either ignore the question or taunt you with false rumors about her running off with Gabrielle (from Xena).
The Gneech
April 5, 2010 @ 9:34 am
Who is your favorite contemporary, publishing, not-you author (of any genre), and why?
-The Gneech
Jim C. Hines
April 5, 2010 @ 9:43 am
This one actually changes from day to day, but I’ll give it some thought and see who I like when I start doing my answers 🙂
Sean
April 5, 2010 @ 10:33 am
If Golaka, Jig, and Snow were in a six-legged race, who would be the one to fall face-first and mess it all up?
Jim C. Hines
April 5, 2010 @ 10:34 am
::Tries to visualize this::
Um…
::Brain explodes::
Harry Markov
April 5, 2010 @ 1:05 pm
I have a few.
1) How did you research the agents you applied for?
2) How did you find your agent?
3) How much time did it take up making your book proposals? Namely, how do you touch upon the series factor?
4) Did you try submitting directly to editors?
I am at this stage, almost. So I am thinking ahead a bit.
mattw
April 5, 2010 @ 7:38 pm
He-Man and Skeletor find themselves in the situation that Carey Elwes and the other guy found themselves in in the first SAW movie. Does either have what it takes to get free?
How much time do you devote on an average day to writing? What do you sacrifice to have that writing time (sleep, relaxation time, family time, etc.), and do you have it at the same time every day?
Sean
April 5, 2010 @ 8:31 pm
Who was the greatest writing influence in your life, not necessarily you favorite, but who made you say…..i wanna be a writer¿
If you could have only one of your books made into a movie, which one would it be and why¿
Hotdogs…..mustard or catsup???????
And the proper question was…..
Who would win in a fight Jig or Talia, we’re talking prison rules here…….
Jim C. Hines
April 6, 2010 @ 7:55 am
I’ve never seen SAW, so the first question might be difficult. I may have to substitute an alternate Carey Elwes movie…
Jim C. Hines
April 6, 2010 @ 7:57 am
Thanks for the questions, all! Currently working on near-zero sleep, thanks to late-night thunderstorms and the neurotic freak-dog of doom. Will start answering these as soon as the brain is a little more functional.
Diana
April 6, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
What do you use to write? I mean, do you type it up in MSWord, use a different program, write it all by hand or on a typewriter, or what? I keep hearing about fancy software to help “organize” writing, and I am wondering if any of it is actually helpful.
Marija
April 7, 2010 @ 6:27 am
When you were first starting out writing (i.e. before you were relying on your writing for income), what sort of things motivated you to keep improving? I imagine it was hard to keep writing when you were still working, and had a family to look after…
Talia and Gabrielle? Not bad… What about Talia and Willow? Opposites attract, right? 😉
Jim C. Hines
April 7, 2010 @ 9:00 pm
Thanks for the question! Though this one might be tricky to answer. Even with five books in print, I’m still working a day job, and the family still needs looking after. (So do I, for that matter … it’s a reciprocal thing.)
MichaelM
April 8, 2010 @ 2:52 pm
Hi Jim,
How do you, as an author, deal with problems like writer’s block? Is there a routine you go through, or do you just “force” it to go by making yourself write?
Thanks! 🙂